Forsaken by Cyndi Friberg Read Free Book Online

journals?”
    His persistency was understandable, but she refused to be pressured. “I can, but I’m not sure I will. Why does Earth need to be involved in your war? We have plenty of conflicts on our planet.” They faced off, so Ashley stood as well, standing at their sides like a referee.
    “Sanctioned historian is a Bilarrian title,” Bandar told Raina. “Was your grandmother a war bride?”
    “I don’t know what that is.”
    “From what you told me earlier, it’s likely she was.” Ashley drew her attention away from Bandar. “What did Mimi tell you about the war?”
    “Why don’t we sit down?” Bandar spoke several words Raina didn’t understand and the benches rearranged. They now formed small groupings that allowed visitors to face each other and interact. Bandar motioned to the grouping nearest them and Raina sat. He chose the bench across from her and, after a short hesitation, Ashley sat beside Raina.
    Raina appreciated the gesture, but she wasn’t fooled. There was no doubt in her mind whose side Ashley was really on.
    “What did she tell you about the war?” Ashley prompted after a moment of tense silence.
    She’d always found Mimi’s stories imaginative and fascinating. It felt so strange to think of them as anything other than entertaining yarns. “It started over magic. Bilarrians had it and Rodytes didn’t. I never understood how blasting the hell out of each other would allow Rodytes to attain something they hadn’t had in the first place, but war as a whole makes little sense to me.”
    “There’s no doubt she was Bilarrian,” Bandar muttered. “Or at least learned history from a Bilarrian.”
    “Where’d she go wrong? Why don’t you explain it from the Rodyte perspective,” Raina suggested.
    He seemed happy to oblige. “Rodymian life began on Bilarri. We were all one people before greed and the hunger for power tore our people in two.”
    “If you guys debate every facet of ancient history, we’re going to be here for weeks,” Ashley cut in. “Can we agree that the primary focus of the war was the Rodyte struggle to regain magic?”
    According to Mimi, the Rodytes had been attempting to gain magic not re -gain it, but Raina was willing to let the distinction slide. “Did kidnaping helpless women have something to do with that ‘struggle’?”
    Bandar laughed, but his features were tense, his gaze smoldering with resentment. “Let me make a couple of things clear before we go any further. The battle born are repelled by the practice of war brides and the ultimate goal of our rebellion is to permanently defuse the conflict between Rodymia and Bilarri without further bloodshed. Despise my ancestors all you like, but judge me by my actions.”
    It might be better to focus on the present. The events described in Mimi’s journals were complex and convoluted. And if Raina’s interaction with Bandar so far was any indication, he’d disagree with many of the details. “What does battle born mean? Commander Kotto used the title too, but his explanation didn’t make much sense.”
    “It’s Commander Tarr,” Ashley told her. “Kotto is his first name and it’s probably best if you don’t use it unless he gives you permission.”
    “He’s Bandar’s boss?” She wasn’t sure why she kept provoking him. It wasn’t like her at all and he hadn’t done anything to deserve her annoyance. Well, he was responsible for Ashley’s involvement in this mess, so he was ultimately responsible for her being dragged into it. Or was he? Hadn’t Mimi been involved long before Raina met Ashley?
    “Kotto commands this ship,” Bandar admitted, “but I’m not part of his crew.”
    “Bandar is on special assignment, so he answers directly to General Nox,” Ashley clarified.
    Ashley’s tone made the general sound impressive. Still, rather than asking her to elaborate, Raina digressed. “What does battle born mean?”
    “The offspring of a war bride and her captor is called